Ambassador no more?

[suburbiasucks]

Does anyone know what's happening with the Ambassador Hotel on Church and Julia?
For the last few months a demolition crew has slowly been stripping away metal parts (all fire escapes are gone). Today they showed up with a cherry picker and now are stripping the bricks away starting with the chimney.

Can you dare say surface parking lot?!?

[billy]

Has there been a demolition permit issued?

[billy]

The Ambassador is on the list of designated Local Landmarks.

[thelakelander]

The Houston Street bordellos were listed on the National Register and they still came down.  Hopefully, they aren't in the process of demolishing it, but based on how things have been done here in the past, I wouldn't be suprised.

[thelakelander]

Can you dare say surface parking lot?!?

By the way, how does the KBJ (First Christian Church site) lot look these days?

[suburbiasucks]

By the way, how does the KBJ (First Christian Church site) lot look these days?

You must be talking about this curious, (looking heavily medicated) patch of green? Surprisingly, not a parking lot (yet)!

[Lunican]

Yes, the grass is radioactive green. It's very strange.

[RiversideGator]

Actually, I think it looks better as grass than before.  The grass lot allows you to view the much older mansion while traveling northbound on Julia Street and also to view it more in the context of its day.  It is much better than having it blocked by a quasi-historic church IMO.  Now, I would hate to see a parking lot go in there but as it stands now it looks like a nice side lawn for the old house.  I just think the old mansion is far more attractive now than the poorly executed 1950s church ever was.

[thelakelander]

The house looks out of context to me.  In its day it sat on a block full of houses.  At least the old church continued to give the block an urban feel, when traveling north on Julia.  Now its an isolated house lost in a sea of asphalt and grass.  They could move it to Mandarin and no one would notice.

[thelakelander]

Any update on the Ambassador?

[Ocklawaha]

Somebody say "Weird Grass?" hee hee

I think I've got it.

1. Either it's a special variety of Winter Rye, which has a softer look and feel but likes cold weather, and will die in the first warm snap.

or

2. They planted regular sod, and had it sprayed with a pre-emergent weed-and-feed which often comes with strange green dye in it. This was done so our distant Yankee cousins could have a sort of green yard all winter. Then when the warm weather comes, the chemical fades away and the grass LEAPS into action without the weeds. I used to have this done on my Oklahoma acres every Fall. Beats the hell out of spending Summer pulling Johnson or Crab grass.

I was just by the old hotel yesterday, and didn't dawn on me we could be losing another historic building, DAMN, I even had the 35 mm, laying in the seat next to me. Shall I go talk to them?

Ocklawaha

[billy]

Call the Historic Preservation office (Joel McEachin), and also see if any sort of permit has been issued.

[downtownparks]

I contact Joel. He is "not aware of any plans, including demolition which would require Commission review, for the Ambassador Hotel"

[suburbiasucks]

Just noticed a "For Sale" sign on the Ambassador Hotel this morning. I guess the removal of the fire escapes and ladders was done to keep the homeless out and removal of the chimney to keep the pigeons out?
Wow, that baby is ready to go! Watch it get snatched up and turned into middle income residences!
Buahahaha! 

[RiversideGator]

The house looks out of context to me.  In its day it sat on a block full of houses.  At least the old church continued to give the block an urban feel, when traveling north on Julia.  Now its an isolated house lost in a sea of asphalt and grass.  They could move it to Mandarin and no one would notice.

Well, the house was there first.  Of course, with the more recent surrounding development it looks a little off but it is still a far more beautiful structure than the demolished church.  I guess I am siding more with historic preservation in this instance than with urban development but I just think the mansion is great and should be kept in its original context (at least within its block).  It would make a great museum one day too.